


Shattered Fragments

by Reflet271



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-14 15:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16915209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reflet271/pseuds/Reflet271
Summary: The second day arrives, and you're no closer to going home. A new adventure awaits you, just not the one you were expecting.





	1. World Two

_“Interesting. I did not expect you to be stubborn enough to stay in this world after your adventure. Well then, how about we make this more of a game then? You have one week. I trust you’ll make the most of it.” ___

* * *

Your eyes slowly adjust to the low lighting of the room. Ugh, that was one heck of a dream last night... You move to get up, but something is holding you in place. You look down to see a pair of purple arms wrapped around you. What. A loud snore interrupts your train of thoughts, and you look up to see a muzzle very close to your face. You realize that dream wasn’t one after all. You carefully shimmy your way out of the sleeping monster’s arms, the process taking far too long for your tastes. You stretch, working out any uncomfortable knots that formed last night. You turn your head to see if your sleeping friend was woken up at all. She’s still snoring away. Good, that means you’ll have time for a surprise. You leave the room, heading down a flight of stairs into a bathroom. You wash yourself up, feeling refreshed and more awake than before. You step back into the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. You take a peek, finding a half empty carton of eggs and some leftover bacon. Mmmmn, bacon… You shut the fridge with a soft click, setting the food on the table next to the stove. As you hold up an egg, you smile to yourself. “Time to get crackin!”

* * *

You groan as your eyes open blearily. You shake your head as you sit up in bed. Blinking away some leftover sleep, you perk up when you smell something good coming from downstairs. You get up, rubbing your eyes as you traverse down the stairs and into the kitchen. You spy (Y/n) cooking, humming to himself as he swishes this way and that around your tiny cooking area. You watch him for a few minutes, as his half dance becomes more and more upbeat with each passing second. You can’t help but sway slightly as his humming becomes soothing to you. He finishes with his left hand raised, fry pan in the other with a set of scrambled eggs. He turns to set the food on the table when he spots you. You smirk, crossing your arms. “Had your fun dancing?” His face lights up like a christmas tree, and you laugh, taking a seat.   
Fuck, she caught you at the worst possible moment. Your face feels a few degrees too warm as you set the food on the table. You try to ignore her grin as you take a seat opposite to her. You eat in relative silence, broken only by the scraping of food with your utensils. “So, thinking about teachin’ kids how to dance?” You glare at her, giving her a rude gesture. “Screw off.” She laughs again, and you quickly shove a handful of eggs into your mouth. “But seriously, what are you gonna do today?” You shrug, looking at the time. “Well, before I do anything around town, I’ll have to register a citizen.” Your friend groans at the boring response. You laugh lightly. “Don’t you need to go to school soon anyways?” She glances at the clock, and chokes on her third piece of bacon. “Shit, I forgot today was Friday!” She bolts upstairs, coming back down with a small satchel bag and her trademark purple coat. She gives you a wave as she runs out the door, leaving you alone in the kitchen. “Well, might as well clean up.”

* * *

You were walking aimlessly around town, failing to locate the town hall. You sigh as you turn down another street. Where’s a map when you need one? The honk of a car horn makes you jump a few inches, and you whip your head around to see a red car roll up beside you. The right window rolls down, and you see a familiar human. “Kris?” They nod, giving you a wave. “Oh, is this one of your friends Kris?” You look at the driver, blinking at the white goat face. “I guess you could say that, yeah. Name’s (Y/n)” The goat monster giggles. “Toriel, a pleasure. Please, hop in.” You shrug, opening the passenger door and stepping in. After Toriel makes sure you’ve buckled yourself, she begins to drive again. “So, (Y/n) what are you doing today?” You scratch the back of your head. “Well, I just moved here recently, and was planning on registering at the town hall as a citizen.” Toriel nods, keeping an eye on the road. You soon stop at a school, and Kris exits the car, giving their mother a hug and you another wave before walking into the building. Toriel points you in the direction of the town hall, and you thank her, walking into the building. After a quick chat with the receptionist, you’re brought to the mayor, a deer, and after being given a quick rundown, walk back out with the papers signaling your proof of citizenship. That, was anticlimactic… You shake your head, remembering that the mayor told you to check everything on the paper for what you needed to do. You look down, noting some things you did the day before and some you haven’t yet. One of which was to make a bank account. You raise an eyebrow at the oddly specific request, before heading towards the nearest ATM. When you punch in the requirements to make one, your eyes widen at the amount of money you have. Ten grand? You certainly don’t remember having that much cash, even before you came to this world! The screen glitches, becoming a garbled mess. A single line of text forms on the screen. “For you”-G. Who the hell is G? You shake your head as you withdraw some cash, putting it in a pocket for later. As you walk back to your house, you wonder how Kris is doing…

* * *

You sit down in your seat, avoiding the shocked looks from your classmates. Kris looks equally as surprised to see you on time, and you give them one hell of a smile. “What? (Y/n) made me come early.” Kris gives you a look between belief and barely concealed smugness, and you punch them in the arm for that. The bell rings, and you zone out for most of Alphys’ lesson. Kris nudges you after a bit. You look to them, and they point to a white paper with some instructions on it. Right, the project. You take the paper out of their hand, skimming through the words. Apparently, your supposed to research about some important part between the history between humans and monsters. You look to Kris, who looks back with a semi-blank look. You give them a small smile. “You thinkin’ what I’m thinking?” They smile, nodding happily. “Great, plan go back to the Dark world is a go!”

* * *

You glance up from the impromptu map you drew. This was the last place that you haven’t visited, and so far the look of the building gave some cause for concern. It looked like it hadn’t been giving a good cleaning in a few months. You can’t blame whoever lived in there though. Judging by the sign, it’s supposed to be a floral shop. You take a deep breath, pushing the door open. A soft chime echoes in the room, and your greeted by dozens of flowers and assorted bouquets. They’re all designed in a way that catches the eye quickly, placed strategically so people would know where to look. A deep voice greets you. “Howdy! I’ll just be a moment, make yourself comfy!” You walk around the room, eyeing various flowers and their descriptions. You hear padded footsteps behind you, and you turn around to face another goat monster. He absolutely towers over you, and you have to crane your neck a bit to see him. He gives you a big grin, and you step back a bit. “So, what brings you to my little flower shop?” You clear your throat after a bit of silence. “Well, I moved here recently, and was looking for somewhere to work. I noticed how uh, rundown? Yeah, rundown this place looked, and thought you needed some help.” He narrows his eyes, and you mentally kick yourself. Probably not the best first impression, you tell yourself. “Is that so? Well, I suppose I could use your help.” He turns to look at the shop. “How good are you at gardening?” 

You wipe your face as you set down the last bag of fertilizer. You look at your handiwork. Most of the backyard of Asgore’s place has been cleaned out and sorted for growing winter flowers. You listened to his story as the two of you got the backyard ready. When you told him you knew Kris, his face lit up with pleasant surprise, and shockingly, melancholic. When you asked him about it, he told you about how he and Toriel had been going through some rough patches recently. You pity him; it seems one if willing to forgive and forget, while the other is bitter and upset. You don’t ask about what exactly happened, seeing as you just met him. He waves to you from the back porch, and you scramble over to him. He hands you a cup of tea, and you take it with both hands, sipping down the herbal drink steadily. “Good work today (Y/n). I suppose I’ll have to pay you now.” You shake your head. “No, it’s fine. I’m not actually working for pay, just to do something while I wait for Susie and Kris.” He blinks, raising an eyebrow. “Are you sure? It’s no trouble at all…” You nod. “Yes, it’s fine if I don’t get paid.” He seems keen on disagreeing, telling you to wait outside for a bit. He disappears into the shop, prompting you to take another sip of the tea. He comes back out with a bouquet in his hands. “Here, it’s the least I can give you if money isn’t an issue.” You note the price tag on the bottom. “Asgore, this is one of the more expensive flower arrangements! Are you sure?” He nods vigorously. You hold onto it as he escorts you out, walking back to you and Susie’s house. You set it in a vase you find in the kitchen, sitting down on one of the chairs. You look at the clock, noting it was about time Susie and Kris gets off from school.

* * *

You and Kris stand in front of the closet, where it all began. You both grip one end of the doors, pulling it open. What greets you is a normal closet, nothing out of the ordinary. You stand stock still for a second, disbelief on your face. You turn to look down at Kris, who is equally as shocked. “No way, Kris… We didn’t dream that shit up, did we?” Your voice is shaking, body trembling slightly. Kris shakes their head, looking at you worriedly. You step back, wanting to deny the truth. Fuck, fucking hell. Your clench your fists, urge to punch something rising slowly. Kris grips onto your coat tightly, and you look down. They shake their head, and your anger subsides slowly. You grit your teeth, turning and walking out of the school. You can hear Kris follow behind you, and you pick up your pace slowly, breaking out into a full sprint by the time you exit the building. You don’t know where your headed, but you push that thought out of your head as you continue running. You eventually force yourself to stop, panting heavily. You hear footsteps, both in front and behind you for some reason. You glance up to see (Y/n), a frown on his face. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He puts a hand on your shoulder, and it all comes crashing back down on you. Lancer’s gone. Ralsei’s gone too. You’re one true escape from this world...all gone. You feel yourself lean forward, prompting (Y/n) to catch you. No small feat considering he’s a little shorter than you. “Hey, what brought this on?” You don’t speak, opting to cling on to him tightly. He gets the message a little later, hugging you back and rubbing your back soothingly. He guides you inside, looking back to tell Kris to follow. You don’t care.   
\-------  
You set Susie down on the couch in the living room gently, Kris sitting in a lone recliner across the room. You sit down next to Susie, waiting for her to tell you what had happened. She takes a deep breath, before relaying the events of today. You nod your head as you listen intently. When she finishes, she looks at you with a sorrowful gaze, golden eyes peeking out of her hair. “(Y/n), it wasn’t fake, was it?” You shake your head, pulling her into another hug. “Of course it wasn’t. If it WAS, then why would I still be here? Why would Kris remember all of it?” Kris nods, getting up to walk over and join in the hug. You tilt her head to look at you straight in the eye. “We’ll find another way back, I promise.” She says nothing, burying her head in your chest and sniffling. You gently shush her, looking at Kris. They smile at you, wiggling their eyebrows. You roll your eyes, wrapping an arm around them as well. The three of you sit there for a little bit, warmth from the three of you spreading throughout the hug. 

You set a plate of recently cooked dinner in front of Kris, who beams at the smell. It’s about an hour later since Susie’s breakdown, and the three of you got hungry. Kris called Toriel to ask if they could spend the night, and left to go pack some things, coming back in time for your dinner. You all eat quietly, the silence comforting to the three of you. After dinner, Kris asks if they could explore the house for a bit. You look to Susie, who nods with a wave of her hand. Kris dashes off to go do whatever it is kids do, leaving the two of you alone. You cough lightly, getting up to go clean the dishes. She watches you as you rinse the plates, a vacant gaze in her eyes. You hear rushed footsteps get closer, and Kris darts in, tugging on your sleeve harshly. “Ow! Kris, slow down, what’s up?” They don’t say anything, pointing out the door. You and Susie share a glance, following behind them. They lead you up a flight of stairs you didn’t even know existed, coming across an attic. “Kris, why are you showing us a random attic?” Susie nods, also confused. Kris glances back with an unamused expression, pointing to a lone wardrobe. “Yeah, it’s a wardrobe, what is this Narnia?” They shake their head again, going over to open it. A cold wind blows out of it, prompting you to shiver. Susie steps forward, expression wide. “No way, Kris, is this?” They nod slowly. You feel like your missing something here. “Uh, this is what?” Susie turns to look at you, excitement on her face. “Back, a way back! Back to the dark world (Y/n)!” You blink, letting out a small chuckle. “Well then what are we waiting for then? Let’s go!” The three of you step into the wardrobe, closing the doors behind you. You suddenly feel gravity become much stronger, enough to pull you downwards. Something doesn’t seem right to the two though, and before they can figure it out, the three of you are blasted into the seemingly unending void, all separated. You black out. When you come to, you sit up quickly to spit out a mouthful of sand. “Pfft! Ugh, what the hell?” You rub your face free of the gritty material, opening your eyes. What greets you is a town in the middle of a desert. You blink. “This isn’t the dark world…” You get up, walking towards the town. Somehow, you think this isn’t where you’re meant to be...


	2. Rose in the Desert

When you step into the town, it immediately feels like you should keep an eye on your stuff. People mill about, some dressed like they’re going to a ball, others so poor they barely have any clothing on them at all. A lot of the folks wear typical desert attire, and you spot a few dancers milling about trying to entice people into spending some cash. Speaking of which, one of the many dancers spot you, sauntering over. You eye her warily. She gives you a half lidded stare, arms slowly curving to your back. “Well hello there, your a new face.” You lean away from her slightly, stepping back a bit. “Uh, yeah. Kinda just got here a few minutes ago.” She giggles, trailing a finger up your chest. 

“Well, I could show you around, for a price.” You chuckle nervously. “Um, no thanks I just realized I have to... Meet up with a friend kay see ya!” You dart off before she can say anything else, turning the corner and leaning up against the wall of a building. You feel your face slowly cool down. You glance around, looking for anything that might help you figure out where you were. One particular building catches your attention. Nestled in between a tavern and a provisionary store was a run down shack with a brightly painted sign with the words “Shop” Written on it, complete with a smiling cat face. You blink, walking over to enter the store. The front door creaks as you open it, a ringing echoing shortly afterwards. You hear a melodious voice call out from somewhere. “I’ll be right with you in a minute~.” You take a look around. Stacked on some shelves were bottles of varying colors and sizes. Some of them shift colors slowly, others blink with a mini explosion of color. 

You hear padded footsteps come from behind you, and you turn around to see a cat with a button for an eye. Wait.... “Well hello there. What can I get for you dear sir?” You blink. “Pardon me, but you wouldn’t happen to know a cat named Seam, would you?” The cat blinks, a small smile coming out of her face. “Oh, so you’ve met my brother before?” You nod. “Brother?” She laughs, various accessories on her arms jingling at the motion. “Why yes, my brother and I, alone with our siblings, are all merchants. You can find just about one of us in every town! Oh, excuse my manners, my name is Sue, pronounced Sew.” Your eyes twitch, there’s more of them? “You aren’t gonna show me a trap door and then push me down it, are you?” She shakes her head.”Did my brother pull that trick on you?” You sigh, nodding tiredly. “He does love his pranks that one. But enough about me, what brings you to my quiet little store?” You explain how you got here, telling her about the wardrobe that brought you to this town, which you learn is named Sunshade. She hums, tail swishing idly. “Well, I can’t give you an exact route to take to get out of here, but I do know where you can start.” She reaches behind her and pulls out a map, pointing to a seemingly random spot on the map. “It may look like nothing, but this is the hideout of the infamous rat raiders. Word on the street is they’ve recently been getting better at thieving, making off with treasures they couldn’t before. One of which is the Rose of the desert. This rose is your ticket to finding your way out of here.” She hands you the map, and you roll it up. She reaches behind herself again and pulls out a few more items. A satchel, a brown long coat, and a few potions. 

“Here, you’ll need this for where you’re going.” You take the items gently, putting the coat and satchel on and stuffing the map into one of the pockets. You turn to leave, but she calls you back again. “One last thing, I noticed you carry one of the more, modern weapons around.” She points to your gun. “Yeah, what of it?” She hands you two square boxes, one painted red, the other blue. “Those Rat Raiders recently got some magical enchantments to their equipment, this should help with that.” You take a closer look at the boxes, one had a flaming skull on it with one of those witty slogans designed to make people buy the item in question. The other had a frozen popsicle on it. You realize why she gave them to you when the box slides open and you see the contents, bullets. 

After bidding Sue goodbye, you head out of the city and in the general direction of the Rats’ hideout. You grumble to yourself as sand kicks up into your boots and gets stuck in them. After about ten minutes if feeling like your going in a loop you finally arrive. To your dismay, the front gate is heavily guarded by raiders. You wait around, watching the guards change every so often. After dark, they start putting up torches to see better. 

Perfect. You look around, sneaking closer to the lone guard assigned to the front door. Picking up a pebble, you toss it in the general direction of the guard. As he goes to investigate, you snuff out one of the torches, immersing yourself in total darkness. When the guard comes back, you strike, quickly covering his mouth as you cut off his oxygen. He struggles for a bit, and you tighten your hold on him. He finally loses consciousness, and you set him in a hidden part of the area, pickpocketing a key and opening the gate quietly. You traverse a sloppily man made cavern, with old creaking wooden beams and dirt occasionally crumbling down the walls. You take the slow and steady route, avoiding any bright spots and ducking behind cover whenever you can. It pays off when you overhear two guards speaking to each other. You lean in closer to hear more clearly. “Man, can’t believe we bagged ourselves such a precious treasure!” One of them laughs. “Yea, and I bet she’ll sell for a hefty amount of leaves!”   
“You said it brother.” She? Sounds like you’ve got someone to rescue now. You keep moving, picking random directions in hopes of finding something. 

Three dead ends and a whole lot of complaining later, you finally reach what looks to be a makeshift holding cell. And there’s someone inside of it. You whisper to get their attention. “Hey, you awake?” They jolt up, startled. “Wh-where?” You shush them when you see them beginning to panic. “Easy, I’m here to get you out. What’s your name?” As you attempt to find something to break the lock, the prisoner shuffles closer to the door, and what little light shines on their face, giving you pause. A wolf face greets you back, and with a grateful smile, they speak. “Ammy, my name is Ammy.” You nod, managing to break the lock. “Right, and my name’s (Y/n)” You hand over your dagger. “Think you can use this?” She nods, and you set off with her in tow. Going back the way you came is a bit harder with two people, but not by much. You notice her limping occasionally, something you’ll have to address later. You reach the outskirts of the cavern, and she perks up at the seemingly empty exit. “Now’s our chance!” She runs forward, forgetting how dangerous that can be. “Hey, don’t just-” You’re cut off as she trips, creating a lot of noise. “Well well well, what do we have here? Couple of escapees trying to make off without us?” You help Ammy up, turning around to spot an absolute behemoth of a rat monster. His face is obscured thanks to the poor lighting of the place. You notice other monsters come out of hiding, all with various sharp looking weapons drawn. You groan quietly to yourself. “I suppose chivalry isn’t an option?” You get an arrow shot next to your face for that. “Guess not…” You and Ammy spend the better part of fighting the group of raiders evading their attacks rather than attacking them. Even as you shoot one down, another pops up in their place. Pretty soon, you both find yourselves backed into a corner of the room. Ammy has a few scratch marks on her from getting hit, white dust coating her dagger. You’re not faring any better either, cuts traveling up and down your cloak, blood dripping from a nasty slash to your cheek. The leader laughs at your predicament. “Where’s that attitude about leavin’ now?” He crosses his arms. “How’s about a deal? You get to leave, IF you hand wolf girl over there back to us!” You growl, pointing your gun towards his head. “Fat chance of that happening! I came here to get someone out alive, dammit, and I’m not about to leave without her!” Your speech is cut short when you feel a furred paw touch your shoulder. You turn to look at Ammy, who stares back with a serene look. “It’s okay, (Y/n). You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your life for someone you just met.” You can’t believe what you’re hearing. She’s willingly giving her life to that crook just for you to live another day? The leader of the raider laugh. “Good to see the lady has a brain! Come on now.”

As Ammy walks towards him, you scour the room for something you can use to distract them. And then you spot it. Behind the rat leader is a stack of barrels. And leaking out of some of them is a familiar black powder. You reach into your belt discreetly, pulling out the box of bullets. You cross your fingers as you load one of them into your gun. You relax your stance, getting ready to make the shot count. “Hey, rat guy!” He tilts his head at you. You smirk as you shoot him a one-liner. “Hasta la vista, baby.” You fire. As the bullet zooms towards the barrels, it catches fire midway through. When it strikes the barrels, you rush over and lunge to Ammy, forcing the two of you to duck as explosions rock the place. Smoke covers your vision, and you get up slowly, pulling Ammy to her feet. You run out of the cavern, aware of numerous shouts and footsteps as your vision gives way to the cold night sky. 

Somehow, the two of you manage to make it all the way back to Sunshade. You stop to catch your breath, adrenaline wearing off after your escape. You exhale a breath, looking to your white wolf companion. She’s equally out of breath, but she has a smile on her face. When she catches her breath, she starts laughing. You blink, before letting a small laugh yourself. It soon dissolves into louder laughing, making many face you two in awkward silence. You both let out a sigh. “Thank you. For saving me, I mean.” Ammy smiles at you, and you smile back. “No problem. Hate to see a pretty face like yours get captured for no reason.” Her face lights up. “Oh my, are you always this nice to women you just met?” Now it’s your turn to blush. She giggles at your reaction. “I’m only kidding (Y/n).” Right, you knew that. You head back to Sue’s shop, opening the door and letting yourself inside. She greets you with a smile on her face. “Ah, seems you made it back safe and sound, and you brought the rose too!” Wait… You look at Ammy, who gives you a sheepish smile. “You’re the rose in the desert?” She nods shyly. “It’s my stage name.” You turn to glare at Sue. “You never asked me about what exactly the Rose was.” You shake your head in exasperation. After conversing with the shopkeep some more, you leave with more info on what to do next, Apparently, after Sue focused some magic into your map, it lit up with three dots, one purple, off near the snowy mountains of the Frostlands, the other a blue and green, situated near the forests of the Woodlands. You can only guess that’s where the others ended up. As you get ready to leave, a voice stops you. You turn to see Ammy run up to you, travel pack in hand. “Ammy? What are you doing with that bag?” She smiles up at you. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m coming with you!” You blink. “Come again?” She beckons you to follow her out of the town as she talks. “This town is the first of many steps for me in my career as a dancer, and I figured you could use some company while you travel!” It makes sense to her, but you still have doubts. “You sure? I mean, we just met and all that…” She nods. “Then think of this as getting to know each other better. Now come on, we should get going before the sandstorm comes in!” She runs off, prompting you to do the same. As you try to keep up with the spunky wolf monster, you wonder how everyone else is doing.


	3. Frostland Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You never thought you'd get to relive the days of a gladiator.

Your face is as red as the fire in front of you as you watch Ammy practice her dance. You never really thought about it until now, but the way she moves is so sensuous. You blush as she turns quick enough to catch a glimpse of something you normally don’t try to see, and she giggles at your expense. “Do you have to do that dance right now?” She nods, stepping back with a flourish. “Of course! Practice makes perfect, and the lighting right now is just right for this type of dance.” You look away as she sways her tail your way, grumbling and looking off into the setting desert sun. The two of you managed to make it all the way into the border between the desert and Frostlands, stopping briefly to rest. As Ammy went about practicing her dance, you took the time to make dinner. With the supplies Sue gave the two of you you estimated you had enough to last until you arrived at the next town. You set the pot of food over the fire, watching it bubble from the heat of the flames. The smell of cooked meat permeates the area, and soon enough your dancer friend stops and drools at the food being prepared. She sneakily tries to get a taste when she thinks you aren’t looking, but your eyesight never left the pot. You swat her paw away with a spoon, making her yelp in shock. You wave it at her teasingly. “Bad girl, no sneak eating!” The blush on her face is worth the repeated slapping of your arm.

* * *

You glance around in awe at the sight of the snow covered city. Cold white snow covers every inch of the area, houses are lit with warm orange glows and the occasional smoke billows from a chimney. “(Y/n),I know that snow is nice to look at, but can we please find somewhere to rest? I can barely feel my paws…” You look back at your companion, who is shivering frequently. You shoot back a retort as you head off to find an inn. “I told you to pack something more than that skimpy dancer’s outfit, but apparently you didn’t hear me.” Her face gets redder as you head into a nearby building. After settling a room with the innkeeper, the two of you take some time to look around the city for a bit. A few kids here and there throw snow at each other, a vendor selling his wares not from the snow city attracting attention, the sounds of a violin being played ringing out near the town square. All of it makes you want to close your eyes and stand still for a bit. You hear a gasp beside you, and you open your eyes to see Ammy stiff as a board. You turn your gaze over to where she’s looking, spotting a man in black robes walking into a semi-hidden alleyway. She runs off before you can ask her about her freeze up, prompting you to groan and chase after her. You follow the sight of her fluffy white tail weaving just out of sight, twisting around corners repeatedly as you struggle to keep pace with her. You finally see her perched behind some barrels, and slow down to crouch beside her, panting. “Whew, one hell of a run… What made you do-” She cuts you off with a paw to your lips. She points to two figures, one the black garbed man from earlier, the other a gross looking bandit. You try to listen in on their conversation.  
“So, how is it performing?”   
“Heh, just like ya though’ it would! Dragon’s killing somethin’ fierce I tells ya!”  
“Good, and it’s state of mind?”  
“Completely gone! I swear it, don’t even recognize it’s old self anymor!”   
“Indeed, now onto more important matters. Have you heard anything from your fellow bandits?” The less formal of the pair rubbed his head. “No, haven’t heard from them in a while. Last thing they told us was they captured some Rose of the Desert or whatever.” 

At this, Ammy gasps, and you quickly cover her muzzle. The two stop, drawing their weapons. The one in black scoffs, and you hear something being pulled and chucked in your direction. You grab Ammy and slide out of the shadows, right before an explosion destroys your cover. “Well now, what have we here? A couple of rats hearing private information?” You point your gun in his face, prompting Ammy to shakily draw her dagger. “Bit more suspicious for the likes of you to be in this alleyway discussing it, don’t you think?” The man laughs. “I wouldn’t test my patience boy. We can settle this matter in two ways.” He looks to your partner, smirking at her. “Oh, what is this? The famous Rose of the Desert herself come to visit this frigid land? And with little protection no less!” Ammy growls, tightening her grip on her dagger. “Seven years....Seven whole years since that day.” The man blinks at her response. “Figures, why would you remember something so insignificant? It was seven years ago that you came to house Ravus, and killed my father!” The robed figures’ stance widens a bit, and he puts a hand on his chin. 

“Ah, so that is why you seem so familiar. Ammy Ravus, the daughter of Tolroy Ravus. And here I thought we finished all of you off in that fire. Ah well, guess it’s time to cash in on that seven year debt then!” He pulls out a vial, a sickly green color, throwing it onto the bandit next to him. The bandit staggers at the force of being struck by glass, falling down, seemingly dead. You gape at him in horror. “The hell was that for? He was on your side!” He chuckles at your expression, pulling out a book and waving his free hand around. A magic circle appears under him. “Sides? No no no, he was just a pawn. Shame you won’t live much longer to retell this encounter.” He disappears before you can reach him. The bandit convulses painfully, twitching on the ground. His back ruptures suddenly, a burst of wings popping out with a sickening crunch. He gets up slowly, eyes glowing a bright red. He roars an inhuman noise, forcing you to cover your ears. As you do so you’re tackled to the ground by him, getting a screech in the face for it. 

You hold his jaws back from biting you with one hand, reaching for your gun. He stiffens when Ammy drives her dagger into his back, giving you enough time to aim and shoot him in the head. He falls beside you, body going up in black smoke and only leaving behind his clothes. You pant rapidly, weakly getting up with both hands. You look at Ammy, whose face matches yours. You gulp down air, leaning against a wall for support. With a shaky voice, you ask her a prominent question. “So uh, care to explain what just happened?” She nods, walking out of the alleyway. You pause, looking through the now dead bandit’s personal belongings. You find a hastily scribbled map and pocket it. You turn around to follow Ammy, who waits for you just outside the alleyway.

You both make it back to the inn, ordering some food and waiting in your shared room for it. Ammy shifts nervously on her bed, and you sit there patiently waiting for her to speak. She finally takes a deep breath, and somberly tells you her story. “It was seven years ago that my father was murdered. And every day since then I have been spending my life trying to find the ones responsible. I can never forget their mark. One with a raven on his left arm. One with a snake on his right. And one with a knife on his face. They burned down my manor, and I was forced to flee. Since then, I’ve moved from place to place, trying to catch them and exact my revenge. And now one of them knows I’m still alive. Do you understand (Y/n)? I need to find them. For my father.” The wolf is practically in tears by this point, wiping away at tears springing from her eyes. You stand up to give her a hug, which she accepts without hesitation. You pat her ears slowly, letting her grieve for a moment. When she pulls away you speak, eyes facing her own. “I’m sorry. I know it’s too late for apologies, especially considering how long it’s been, but I promise I’ll do everything I can to help.” She nods, removing her arms from your back. “Thanks, the question now though, is how to find them.” You get her attention by pulling out the piece of paper from earlier. “Well, this might help.” You both take a look at the paper. It points out a few landmarks outside the city, stopping at a cave nearby labeled ‘arena’. You exchange glances with each other. “Any idea what that could mean?” You shake your head. “Well, judging from the name…” You both think on it while you get ready for bed.

* * *

It’s early in the morning when the two of you set out to find the cave. The map takes you fairly far out of eyesight of any civilization, hidden deep in the hills and valleys of the Frostlands. After crossing a frozen lake, you see a sheer cliff with a single wooden bridge leading towards an impressive gate made out of stone. Seeing no other way to enter, the two of you make your way across the bridge. When the guards posted notice you, they become more wary. A quick chat and some persuasion tells you this is an arena for those willing to challenge strangers for fortune. You ask them if you and Ammy can sign up, and the guards laugh. “You two? Sure, why the heck not? Need some new challengers after we got that damn dragon anyways…” They wave up at the wall, signaling someone to open the gate. You both step inside seeing a lobby full of various humans and monsters all lounging around. You walk up to what you guess is a receptionist desk, and after talking with the lady, get some papers to sign. You go through the motions with Ammy next to you. As you hand them back, the lady clears her throat. “One more thing, Mr.(Y/n). We must ask if you wish to do single or double matches.” You raise an eyebrow. “What’s the difference?” She points to a board to the left of her. “New rule that got into effect recently. Depending on your choice, you fight different people looking to advance. Of course, the last challenger remains the same.” You look at Ammy, who shrugs. “Double matches.” She nods, and points the two of you to an old mine shaft elevator. Before you can walk inside, the receptionist clears her throat. You spin around and barely catch what looks like an armband. It quickly shifts in your hand, attaching itself to your right wrist. You spy Ammy freaking out as it clings on her neck like a collar. You raise an eyebrow at the receptionist, who rolls her eyes. 

“So you can’t kill anyone.” You nod, stepping inside the elevator, and the doors close behind you, whirring to life and shooting you upwards. When it stops, you can faintly hear the cheering of a crowd. When you step out, you are greeted by a massive stadium filled to the brim with plenty of spectators of various origins. The crowd cheers even louder as you and Ammy reveal yourselves. You hear a loud obnoxious voice ring out all around you. “Welcome, challengers, to the 57th Frostlands Showdown! We’ve got a big crowd today, so do your best to entertain them, alright?!” You nod to the air, wincing at the volume of the crowd and announcer. Ammy lowers her ears, trying to muffle the crowd chanting. 

“Ladies and gents have we got a treat for you today! Entering the rookie league are two newcomers! Put your appendages together for Crackshot (Y/n) and Whirling Dancer Ammy!” The crowd loudly applauds you two, and you both wave back nervously. Sharpshooter? When the hell did they come up with a nickname for you so fast?! As the cheers die down the announcer calls out your opponents. “And as for the opposing team? Well it’s the Six shot gunman Bolt and his lovely wife Clara!” You see another pair of people walk out. The first is a man of average height with impossibly spiky red hair and blue and white jacket. Behind him is what you guess is his wife, who is covered in a garb similar to Ammy. Her face is mostly covered in a white cloth, save for an opening letting her one green eye peek out. You hear a beep from your wrist, and lift it to inspect the noise. The green gem on it flashes, shooting out a white beam that morphs into a screen. You see Bolt’s do the same. “Okay, here how this challenge is going to work!” A diagram of the arena pops into view. “Basically, all you have to do is land marks on the opposite team! First to six wins! You can use anything to your advantage. And be careful of random crowd events happening! Good luck to you all!” The screen blips out, and you hear a loud air horn signal the start of the match. You feel Ammy grab you as she dives behind a rock as bullets follow your footsteps. She turns to look at you, eyes wide with a mix of fear and adrenaline. “So what’s our plan here?” You wince as a piece of your cover is blown into bits. “Okay, I’ll draw their attention, you see if you can sneak up on them. Don’t get too far away from me or they’ll know something’s up.” 

She nods, and on three, you dash out, pointing your gun and firing rapidly at Bolt, who runs in the same direction and fires back. You see Clara mumble something to herself, before she throws what looks like playing cards. They mix with Bolt’s bullets to create a hell for you to duck and weave through. You tsk in aggravation as a card nicks you in the shoulder, firing back at Clara and nailing a hit on her leg. You pale as you hear the click of a revolver close to you, and you turn to see a gun pointed straight at you. Bolt grins. 

“Gotcha.” You react quick enough to slap the gun away with your own as he fires, the shot going wide and ricocheting off the wall and into the snow. You pull back, firing at him once and hearing him grunt in pain. Two down, four to go. You hide behind a crate, catching your breath. You hear a yelp, and peek out to see Ammy clutch her wrist as a card hits her. Damn, so much for a lead… You whip out one of your ammo boxes, swapping a bullet with a blue one. You take a deep breath, peeking out and firing at Clara, who throws a card at your bullet. They meet in midair, your bullet cutting the card in half and landing directly on her chest. Immediately, the bullet explodes, covering her in a layer of frost. You see her struggle to move. You quickly adjust your aim for another shot, but a bullet hits your gun, flinging it out of your hand. You look over to dodge a bullet aimed for your face. You run over to snatch your gun, but find yourself missing it while trying to avoid bullets from Bolt. Ammy notices, and dashes over to distract him, landing a solid swipe on his back. You pick up the gun, looking back to see a card strike you in the chest. You crumple to the ground as a searing hot pain erupts afterwards, rolling around as you realize the card exploded on you. The fire dies out after a bit, and you roll behind some weak cover, gripping your chest as it protests in pain. You glance at the board in the back of the crowd. Four to three. You see a card float slowly in front of you, hearing it blip once before it explodes, forcing you skywards. You see Clara and Bolt both aim for you,The latter pulling out another gun, and Ammy rushing over to hit at least one of them.

With shaky hands, you reach into your pocket for anything that may help you, your hand clinches on a bullet, and you quickly load it in and shoot, hoping for the best. You hear the sound of your bullet hitting the ground as two things hit both your legs, and another explosion rings out. You fall to the ground after what feels like a whole minute, groaning. Ammy runs over to you, picking you up slowly. The crowd cheers, and you both look up to see what had happened. Apparently, in trying to go for you, the two ran into each other and didn’t notice your bullet land in between them until it was too late. The final tally is six to four in your favor. With a sigh of relief, you get to your feet with help from Ammy, smiling at her disheveled face. “Well, that wasn’t so bad.”  
“I guess not…” The announcer goes wild at your victory, congratulating you both while the two of you exit. You find yourself back in the lobby, where the receptionist hands you a key and points to a set of stairs. You walk up them and note the numbers on doors lining the hallway. You walk up to the one that matches the number on your key, twisting it and walking in. It’s a small room, with only one bed and table next to it. You hear a sigh as Ammy plunks down onto the bed, tail swishing slowly. You chuckle as you take a seat next to her, rubbing her back soothingly. Her tail wags a little faster, and she whines in pleasure. “Your hands feel soooo good…” She sits up, a smile on her lips. A knock on your door alerts you to someone outside, and you get up to answer it. Outside is a lizard man who hands you a bag of coins and a note. He nods as you close the door, setting the bag of riches on the table and opening the note. _‘Congrats on your first victory. We’ll schedule your next fight in a couple of days, until then. Feel free to look around for a bit!’ _You and Ammy exchange glances. “Sounds like we’ve got some spelunking to do.”__


End file.
